


Avalanches

by fearfulharmonyy



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-DMC5, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24416701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fearfulharmonyy/pseuds/fearfulharmonyy
Summary: On the surface, it was one of Dante's easiest jobs. Of course, things aren't always that simple, and raising a young adult half-demon proved to be a bigger challenge than he anticipated.
Kudos: 5





	1. Emotional Tolls

Dante stretched as he walked out onto the steps of Devil May Cry, before his eyes snapped back open and he moved to observe the quivering half-demon clutching a devil claymore too big for them perched on a stack of shredded newspapers tucked into the alley beside DMC.

“Huh. I see you took up my offer, kid… Hey, you alright?” He became concerned, noticing how they shook afraid and didn’t turn their thousand yard stare to face him.

“You were wrong, Dante.” Their voice cracked and wavered, barely audible in the first place. “I couldn’t control myself.”

\----

Three weeks prior, Dante had received a call about a missing persons case believed to be linked to demonic activity observed in the area. Demonic blood samples unable to be identified, and other similar evidence. The missing one was a healthy and young woman, living with a roommate in an apartment in Redgrave. Their medical records found PTSD from the Qliphoth incident that therapy had been working hard to reduce, but no other conditions that might explain the disappearance. 

Dante ventured out into the surrounding forest shielding Redgrave from the rest of the world, following a particularly interesting scent-trail. Human and demon together, but not meshed totally like his family’s blood. Tainted, more like the Order of the Sword knights that intended to become angels, but turned out as demons. Though it was laden with anxiety, and… was that relief? He wasn’t sure, but it would surely lead to the culprit.

A black feather here, a scrap of fur there. Could be explained by crows and wild animals, but Dante knew better, as they were heavy with the odd hybrid’s scent. They led to a small shelter made of fallen trees supported on a small cliffside, and as he entered, he noticed a few interesting articles.

There was a sleeping bag, and cans of food, but the most interesting thing for sure was the giant stuffed fox toy. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, this demon surely must’ve slept with it every night given how potent it was with the scent.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my house?” A voice behind him growled, layered like his own Trigger’s voice. He turned, and before him stood a young and rather short demon. Humanoid, but with an animal’s face and ears, and black wings sprouted from its back and spread, no doubt an intimidation tactic. They held a long, heavy looking sword with both hands, likely a devil arm as it seemed to thrum with energy in tune with the eerie purple glow of their slit eyes.

“Ah, I mean no harm, trust me.” Dante gave the demon a smile, “I heard you’ve gone missing recently. Whoever tried to track you must’ve done a shit job though, you don’t seem to be great at hiding.”

The demon’s face twisted in fear for a moment, and though they tried to remain angry it couldn’t be helped that their voice wavered in anxiety. “Don’t tell them where I am. Or else.. I-I’ll kill you.”

Dante had a moment to decide what he was going to do. He could report their location, or even bring them back with him, and collect the pay. Or…

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me, kid.” He tried to give them a genuine, honest smile, to comfort them. “We all have reasons for running away. But… I know what you are. And I know how you became this,” He gestured to their inhuman form, “So I’m gonna give you some advice. Whatever you do, don’t kill humans.”

Their face softened and they lowered their weapon, “Why would I want to do that?”

“That’s just what demons tend to do… I think you’re better than that, though, you seem to have a good grip on your form. If you need help though, come to Devil May Cry.”

And with that, he brushed past them to go back the way he came. They stared at him as he casually walked through the forest, confused by his kindness. They tried not to think about it too much as they sat back in their little home, clutching their stuffed animal.

\----

“...What did you do?” Dante asked softly, hoping with every fiber of his being that they didn’t disobey his only demand. He crouched down to their level, placing his hands on their shoulders to steady them.

“I… I messed up. Really badly.” They glanced down at the newspapers they sat on, and pulled one out, reading over it before handing it to Dante.

The headline alone was enough. Dante recognized the name; their former roommate had his dead body found in the forest outside Redgrave. Demons suspected to be involved. He clutched the paper tightly, and for a moment, the younger hybrid was afraid he was going to kill them.

But he didn’t. He set the paper down, and then… Hugged them. Tightly, catching them completely off guard. His kindness confused them, and they broke down in that moment, clutching his back as they sobbed into his shoulder.

“Please… P-please Dante, you have to kill me! I’m dangerous! I-I’ll just kill more!” They pleaded as they cried, and it only made Dante hug them tighter.

He picked them up, and carried them inside Devil May Cry. Sitting down on the couch in the main room, he waited for them to calm down, as their crying slowly went from wails to mere hiccups.

“I’m not going to kill you.” His voice brought them out of a trance. They looked at his face, confused still.

“I’m gonna do what I should’ve done in the first place, and I’m gonna teach you how to be a good demon, okay?”

They slowly nodded, “I wanna be good…”

“Good. We’ll work on this together, you and I.” He pat the back of their head, behind their ears.

\----

A month after taking in the fledgeling, he came to understand several things about them.

One; they were really good at sneaking around. Likely how they managed to become a demon in the first place, breaking into the Order headquarters to steal their documents on demonic transformation.

They seemed to have a habit of it. Dante could count on three hands how many times they’ve unintentionally surprised him, appearing in a room when he thought he was alone. He thought he could rely on scent, but they had already permeated the whole of DMC with their strange half-demonic smell, so that was no use.

They were apologetic, though. Eventually they started announcing their presence in a room whenever they otherwise silently entered. Though, even this was strange.

“I’m here now.” They’d quietly remark, before going about whatever they planned on doing. Sometimes Dante would miss even this, though, and he’d still get surprised. He’d asked them to speak up before, but they seemed to be hardwired to be soft spoken.

Two; they were clumsy as all hell. They had even managed to mess up the ritual, so when they took humanshape, their caracal-like ears, long fluff-tipped tail and black wings all remained. At least they mopped up the drinks they spilled.

As clumsy as they were, they were still quite neat about their space. Whenever Dante’s seen the former storage room he gave to them, everything was neatly arranged. They’d even taken on the task of cleaning Devil May Cry, though they sometimes fumbled a bit. Dante promised the broken dishes didn’t bother him, and to be honest, they didn’t. It was hard to get annoyed at them.

Three; Dante didn’t want to know about their past, because they flinched at damn near anything. He knew if he learned who the hell abused them to make them so quick to flee, he couldn’t keep himself from killing them, human or not.

Because of this, teaching them to fight was quite a process. They had a tendency to freeze up, instead of blocking or dodging. It took a while for them to get over this, and when they did, they’d dodge too far away to retaliate efficiently. 

It didn’t help that their sword was almost as tall as they were. Dante suspected that without the aid of demonic strength, there’s now way they could hold it reliably.

But the biggest problem was how scared they were of Vergil.

Dante was easy to get used to, he liked putting on the persona of a chill and fun guy. While he was a different man underneath this pizza-loving exterior, he felt that showing them his lifelong traumas was… a little much. But Vergil had a far different mask, one naturally intimidating to everyone but Dante.

In the event Vergil entered the same room they were in, they’d immediately freeze up, and try to continue what they were doing in a distracted, silted fashion. Vergil had asked Dante what he thought about this, and Dante could only be worried. Vergil wondered why he’d take in a stray like them anyway, when they had such obvious weaknesses. Dante snapped at him, because obviously Vergil wouldn’t know when someone really needs help.

Dante apologized, and while Vergil did not, he didn’t mind. He just wanted to help them get over their fear of Vergil.

The solution? Family dinner.

Well… perhaps calling them a family was a stretch, but it seemed like a good idea to him. Vergil suggested actually making their own food, instead of just ordering pizza, and while Dante would take the pizza any day, he had to agree that cooking was a good bonding activity.

Thus, the plan began. Dante casually asked during training,

“Hey, what’s your favorite food?” to the young hybrid.

“Ah… That’s a hard question… I’d have to say it’s pizza!” They cheerfully responded.

So homemade pizza it was. Vergil wouldn’t be happy about it, but he was willing to cooperate, so it would still hopefully work.

Truthfully, shopping for ingredients was the first time Dante’s been in a grocery store in a long time, and he guessed it was likely the same for Vergil too since he was doing the especially grumpy scowl he does when he’s out of his element.

The young hybrid, however, seemed to fit in just fine. Though… With some drawbacks.

They couldn’t hide their demonic extras without serious effort, and it was too much to hold onto at once, so some accommodations had to be made. For one, their ears had to be hidden with a beanie, so they could no longer hear very well at all. Then a hollowed out backpack for their wings and tail. It worked, but Dante hoped nobody could see the way the backpack wiggled as their wings and tail moved to naturally emote with them.

So, Dante and Vergil were their new ears, and spoke for them. That meant a lot of pointing, and poor attempts to understand what exactly they were pointing at. Dante thought their angry little pout was cute, though. Vergil, though, always happened to give his little exasperated sigh and pick out the exact item they were thinking of, scolding Dante for not listening to directions well. Though, as they were heading to the checkout with all the ingredients (and some basic groceries Vergil insisted upon, can’t feed a growing hybrid with nothing but pizza and cheap ramen), Vergil gave Dante a sly wink. Oh… Vergil must have figured Dante was playing dumb on purpose.

Then came the cooking. Honestly, it was quite a mess. The young hybrid seemed to be the most competent between the three, but even they made a few mistakes. Not enough sauce, too much cheese, cooked for just a little too long. Dante and Vergil spent most of the time arguing, though, so that was no help.

But honestly, when it was time to sit down at the rarely used dinner table and eat? It tasted divine, if only because the young one was actually smiling and laughing in front of Vergil, as he happened to find it a lot tastier than they had expected.. Not fake ones either. Dante smiled to himself. Perhaps this could be a family after all...?

\----

Despite their flaws and the struggles of teaching them how to control their power and emotions, he came to quite like their precense. They were improving day by day, so he decided to take them on their very first devil hunting job. It was simple, just a relatively small hellbat swarm, and they had Dante at their back to help.

When it was time to receive the pay, Dante got another little surprise. “So, who’s your new helper, Dante?”

He was on the verge of saying the name he was given for them by their roommate, who had hired him to find them, before...

“I’m Aspen.”

They nervously looked up at Dante for approval, and he knew it wasn’t the name he was told. But, the kid’s different now, so he grinned and patted them on the head. “Yup! Aspen’s a devil hunter in training, and they’re doing a wonderful job so far. This was their first job, even, but I bet you couldn’t tell!”

Aspen smiled to themselves as Dante and the client continued their conversation, happy that they had his support.


	2. In the Dying of our Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nero comes to visit. It doesn't go as planned.

Aspen woke up late, staring at the sun coming in through the blinds. They rubbed their eyes and checked their smartphone… Noon already? They groaned as they sat up, still sore from sparring with Dante yesterday. They heard a commotion outside in Devil May Cry, so they threw on a tank top and sweatpants to observe.

Moving silently through the upper halls, they peeked over the landing of the stairs. Dante and Vergil were downstairs together, which was normal, but there was a new person Aspen had never seen before.

He looked oddly similar to Dante and Vergil (especially Vergil) with his short white hair and same silver eyes. They felt reluctant to join them, given Aspen clearly had no connection to this new one, so they started back to their room.

Though, as soon as they happened to look away, the short white haired one had noticed them. “Hey Dante, who’s that upstairs?”

Aspen froze, before quickly moving behind the wall, out of sight. They overheard, “Oh right, we completely forgot to tell you about our new friend! Hey Aspen, come down and introduce yourself!”

Shit. Well, kinda hard to say no to that… They quietly walked down the stairs, trying not to stare at the newcomer.

“Uh… Hi.” They shuffled, trying and failing to appear casual.

Dante patted their shoulder in pride, “Yeah, this is our new roomie! They help with jobs and cleaning up, they’re a bit shy though.”

“Yeah.. I can tell.” The silver haired unknown replied, eyeing up Aspen though trying to not focus much on them. “What’s with the ears?”

“They’re a half demon,” Vergil answered, not looking up from his book as he sat on the couch, “their features are not unlike your former Devil Bringer, Nero.”

Nero, they thought was his name, spoke, “Huh, well it’s cool to see you guys made a friend but… Couldn’t you have bothered letting us know? How long have they even been here?”

Aspen didn’t much like how he talked like they weren’t even there, but anything to keep them from having to talk more to this stranger was helpful. Dante responded, “About a month or two now? Sorry for not tellin’ ya, kid, just been having a lot of jobs on my plate and it slipped my mind.”

Nero didn’t really take his eyes off Aspen. They didn’t like this. “Well, next time you adopt some stray, at least let me know. And stop treating them like your kid, it’s weird.”

“Something bothering you, Nero?” Vergil asked, eyes on his book. Aspen really wanted to leave, but Dante’s hand on their shoulder and Nero’s disapproving gaze kept them fixed in that spot.

“We can talk about it later. I’m gonna go help Nico; the van broke down again a few blocks from here.” He had stomped out of Devil May Cry before Dante could even offer to help. This, finally, made him take his hand off their shoulder, and they immediately went to go back to their room.

\----

Nero didn’t like the look of this. That demon… They bothered him so much. He’s seen other hybrids before, but none of them would give him that occasional angry glance of harshly slit eyes with that weird purple glow like that one did, unless they wanted to eat him. But Dante and Vergil didn’t seem to notice at all, and that worried Nero more than anything. 

And god, he hated how the smell of them reminded him of those knights of the Order. Sure, the species and emotions were totally off, but… They smelled just as gross and impure. He hated it.

He just wanted to go fight and kill that demon, but he knew that would likely make things worse between him and the twins. He’d go to bed early tonight; he didn’t want to stay up thinking about this weird situation.

\----

As Aspen slid back into their room, they could tell Vergil and Dante were confused by what just happened. The two knew Nero probably wasn’t going to be so open and accepting of Aspen, but the sheer coldness of his temper was surprising. They sighed, leaning back on their door, before turning their gaze to their upright sword rack, where Algernon, their claymore, sat.

_He’s a threat to our situation._ Algernon whispered in their head occasionally. _He’s going to get in the way of you and those beautiful twins._

“I don’t think so, he’s probably just kinda jealous that I spend as much time with them as I do.” They softly replied, sitting down on their bed.

_Why on earth did I have the luck to get chosen by such a weakling?_ It muttered in their mind.

“Maybe if you were nicer to the arms dealer, they wouldn’t have sold you so cheaply.” They giggled softly, before pulling out their laptop and distracting themselves, making it much harder for Algernon to speak in their mind.

_No matter._

\----

Of all the things to be awoken by, a huge sword just barely missing his head wasn’t one he had expected.

Thank god Nico decided to get a hotel for the night and leave Nero alone, since she could tell his mood was all kinds of prickly, because he’d totally trashed the van trying to fight this animal demon. He recognized the ear silhouette, and gritted his teeth as he slashed Red Queen forward, lighting ablaze just enough to see his foe, and his suspicions were proven true.

Those harsh purple eyes bore into him as they growled, “You’re a nuisance. All you’re going to do is get in the way.”

“You really want those two so bad? Well too bad, they’re my family, so you’re gonna have to go through me first!” He slapped them out of the open van door with the flat of Red Queen, before quickly grabbing the Blue Rose and firing a few shots at the demon.

Aspen hissed in pain, before once again charging forward at Nero, now both of them on the street.

Of course, it wasn’t long before the flaring of demonic power the two had forced Dante and Vergil to come rushing in.  
Nero ignored them, and as Aspen appeared to be distracted, he went in and slashed their chest with the Red Queen, knocking them back in a spray of blood and fire and sending their sword flying.

As they lay on the ground gasping for air, Nero guarded himself with the Red Queen just as Dante nearly punched the life out of him.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Nero?! You could’ve killed them!” He shouted, as Vergil checked their wounds.

“I was just defending myself! They tried to kill me in my sleep!” Nero shouted back, shoving Dante with the Queen before standing down.

“I… I what?” Aspen asked, clearly in a daze. “I… I don’t remember any of that… I-I was laying down to go to bed, and then, I was here and I heard Dante’s voice…”

Nero’s mouth hung open in confusion, “But it happened, I swear it did! Look, the inside of the van is totally trashed because of it, and now that seat needs to be totally replaced!”

Dante looked inside, “Wow, what a wreck… I believe you, Nero, but… Something’s really not right here.” He pondered.

Vergil piped up finally, “It appears Aspen was not in their own mind at the time of the attack. But who, or what, could’ve been controlling them?” He side-eyed their cast-away sword. “Perhaps I may have an idea.” He stood, picking the sword up.

“Wai.. Wait!” Aspen cried out, reaching towards Vergil as Dante came back out from the van with a first aid kit, attempting to patch up Aspen’s chest for the time being.

“This sword is a devil arm. Not just any devil arm, at that. Dante, do you remember the first job we took together after rejoining?”

Dante paused, “Yeah, I do. That high order demon near Redgrave, trying to ransack it again since it was weakened by the whole Qliphoth thing. You think that’s the same one?”

“I have no way to say for sure, but it’s highly likely.” He considered the sword and the engravings in its hilt, noting the similarities to the demon. “Algernon, I believe, was its name. Am I correct, Aspen?”

Aspen sat confused and in shock, but nodded. “Yeah… That’s his name. I needed a devil arm, and he was all I had.”

Nero shook his head, “Why the hell would you need a devil arm? I know you’re a devil hunter now, but even I can manage just fine without one.”

Aspen looked down, afraid to speak further. “I just… had my reasons.”

Vergil crouched down beside Aspen, to look them in the eye, and lifted their chin with a firm hand. “Aspen. Did you or did you not use this devil arm to perform a ritual to turn yourself into a demon.”

Nero tensed, no wonder they smelled just like the Order. An artificial demon. He didn’t know they could be made with devil arms too, but considering the Order never did that, perhaps even that was too dangerous to really consider.

Aspen looked like they were about to cry, “Y-yes… I did…”

Dante sighed, “Well, shit, kid. No wonder I sometimes see you sneak out at night… That fucking demon is taking your mind away from you!” He growled, “That’s what happens when you soul-bond like that with a demon that can’t be trusted.”

And there were the tears, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I did it! I just… Couldn’t handle being human anymore, okay?” They curled in on themselves as they yelled and sobbed, “I was tired of living like one little thing could push me over the edge! I just wanted to feel strong!”

Nero couldn’t help but feel bad as he watched Dante reel back a bit before trying to comfort them. “Hey, kid, it’s okay.” Dante’s hand was firm on their shoulder, “We’re gonna take care of this okay?” He turned to Vergil, “You know if we can separate them at all?”

Vergil sighed, “I’m afraid that the bond, at least in some measure, is permanent. However, they can retain their status as a demon if the devil arm is transplanted, and replaced with a more compliant one.”

“So… Algernon is always gonna be in my head...?” Aspen’s voice shook, as they clutched Dante’s hand in fear.

“Unfortunately, most likely. But he will be quieter, I assure you.” Vergil placed a hand on their shoulder, squeezing lightly. “More importantly, he won’t be able to take over your body anymore. Who knows what he’s done with your vessel already…”

Nero sighed, before thinking for a moment. “I can get one for you. A new devil arm, I mean. I have some leftover from old jobs, one of them might be a good fit.”

Aspen looked up, and for once those purple eyes didn’t seem menacing at all to him. “You… You mean it?”

“I know my stash of devil arms well, and I don’t think any would be a good fit for you. Yeah, Nero’s more likely to have something that’ll work. We want the best fit possible, especially for a soul bond like that.” Dante agreed, standing up and helping Aspen to their feet as well.

“Then it’s settled. Nero, I’m assuming you don’t keep your devil arms in Nico’s van?” Vergil stood, brushing off his coat.

“Yeah, they’re back at the orphanage in Fortuna…”

Dante grinned, before picking up Aspen gently. “Guess we’ll fly!” His voice became double layered as he flashed into his greater form, spreading his wings.

“Excellent idea, brother.” Vergil agreed as he too joined in his Sin Trigger form.   
“Guess that settles it,” Nero was the last to shift, and Aspen marveled at seeing his higher form for the first time. They’d seen Dante’s and Vergil’s before, but Nero was new, and he was quite the marvel.

And with that, they took off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was getting too long so i couldnt add in the resolution just yet, that will b in the next chapter thank u for ur patience

**Author's Note:**

> USHASHAGHJDJGHGHHH this fic... stressed me out so much while writing it but. i hope u enjoy it, i write very self indulgent things if u cant tell haha. i will try to write more chapters if the muse demands it bc i have more ideas  
> (the title and chapter names for this fic will all b from avalanches by iamx bc thats my favorite song and i love thinking of ideas to it)


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